The Little Witch
by SouthernBlossom
Summary: A young girl arrives in Mystic Falls and turns Damon's world upside down. Rated T for possible spanking of minors.
1. Chapter 1

**So, this is my first time trying my hand at a Vampire Diaries story. Feedback is much appreciated and helpful! I guess this story would fit in somewhere in Season 5, but will be a bit AU depending on what I decide to go with and what I don't.**

* * *

The mansion stood just beyond the trees, a looming silhouette visible only by the light of the moon. The windows were all dark; it appeared either everyone was asleep or no one was home. Either way, she felt a sense of foreboding as she crept up to the front door. Part of her wanted to turn back, to find somewhere else to crash for the night, but she was cold and hungry and tired, and it was the only house in sight.

Months of living on the run had taught her how to get in and out of places undetected. It didn't hurt that she was small, even for her age, and could fit in tight spaces with ease. She eased the unlocked door open just enough to slip into the house. Even with the moonlight streaming through the windows, she couldn't make out more than shadows. Moving slowly, she used her hands to find her way.

Her best bet was to find an unoccupied room, one where she wouldn't likely be found before morning. It was all she needed. She was used to rising before the sun did, and would then be out of the house before anyone was the wiser. Upon ascending the stairs, she discovered several rooms that could fit her needs. She picked one in the middle and wasted no time setting her backpack on a nearby chair and climbing under the covers. The comforter was thick, fluffy, and warmer than anything she'd felt in a while.

She was asleep before her head touched the pillow.


	2. Chapter 2

When she woke up the following morning, she found the room bathed in light from the windows. She bolted upright, glancing around, but the door was still closed and she didn't see anyone in the room. It was a small relief, but the fact remained that if someone was home, it would be exponentially harder to leave undetected.

Slipping out of the bed, she wasted no time in fixing the sheets and comforter to mask her presence. She had to use the bathroom, but she didn't know if she could risk it. After slinging her backpack over her shoulder, she crept to the door, cracked it open and listened.

Voices drifted up from the first floor. Two males and a female, she guessed – too many people for her to sneak past. She'd have to get out of the house another way. A quick glance around the room with the benefit of the daylight revealed a balcony. She closed the hallway door and tiptoed over to the balcony, exercising caution as she opened one of the glass doors. She was only a floor up, and there was a tree branch that reached just under the balcony. It couldn't have been more perfect unless she'd had a ladder.

She checked to make sure the coast was clear, then climbed over the railing and began inching her way across the branch. She'd made it halfway to the trunk when she heard a loud crack. Her limbs scrambled to make it the rest of the way, but the branch gave out, and she shrieked as she fell to the ground with it.

Fortunately, she didn't hit her head as she hit the ground with a soft thud. Unfortunately, she landed on her hand, and she could feel a sharp, stabbing pain in her left wrist. Using her good hand, she tried to push herself to a sitting position just as she saw several people approaching her. A boy, maybe seventeen or eighteen, reached her first, followed by a girl about the same age. A slightly older man, in his twenties if she had to guess, followed at a leisurely pace. The boy and man both had dark hair and fair skin, though the boy's eyes were also dark and the man had eyes a startlingly light shade of blue-gray. The girl also had dark hair, with green eyes and more of a caramel mixed with cocoa complexion.

"Are you okay?" the teenage boy asked, crouching down.

She nodded her head as she leaned back against the tree trunk. A quick glance at her hand made her cringe; her wrist was beginning to swell. "I'm fine," she lied. "If you'll give me a hand, I'll be on my way."

He straightened his legs and leaned over, his hand stretched out to hers. She grasped his hand with her good one and allowed him to pull her to her feet, doing her best to hide the fact that she was now holding her left hand against her chest.

"Thank you," she told him, forcing a smile in spite of the pain. "I'm sorry to have interrupted your morning, but I'll leave now."

She turned to go, and took a couple of steps before the man appeared instantly in front of her. Her body jerked in surprise, and she stared up at him with a mixture of frustration and apprehension. She wasn't sure how he'd moved that quickly. She had her suspicions, but they couldn't be true. It wasn't possible.

"You're not going anywhere," he said matter-of-factly. "For one thing, you haven't explained why you were up in my tree."

She sighed. "And the other thing?"

He grasped her arm and pulled it away from her chest. Though his grip was surprisingly gentle, she couldn't muffle her whimper. She watched helplessly as he lifted her other arm so that her wrists were side by side, which only further accentuated the swelling. "Clearly you aren't okay."

"Look, you don't need to worry about me. I can take care of myself."

He laughed, which only served to further frustrate her. "You can take care of yourself," he repeated in a mocking tone. "What are you, ten?"

"Twelve," she huffed. The fact that she looked young for her age was a sore spot. "And I don't know you."

"Damon," he replied simply. "And you are?"

"Leaving now."

She jerked her hands away, muttered a curse, and tried to sidestep him, but he caught her by the arm and pulled her back.

"Damnit, let me go!"

Damon shook his head. "I thought we already established that you aren't going anywhere. You are coming inside so that you can explain what you were doing up in my tree and put some ice on your wrist. Now, before you got all snippy," at this point Damon leaned down so that he was eye-to-eye with her, "I believe you were about to tell me your name."

There was no doubt in her mind. This Damon was a vampire. She'd learned all about them from her mother before she'd passed. The speed, the way he was trying to compel her now… He was definitely a vampire. No other supernatural being had the power of compulsion, but vampires weren't supposed to be able to walk in the sun. How was it possible that he wasn't bursting into flames just being out in the daylight?

Fortunately for her, she had one advantage. She couldn't be compelled.

"No," she told him, watching his expression switch from smug to surprised. "I wasn't about to tell you anything."

He quickly schooled his expression to one of light amusement. "Hmm. Got our hands on some vervain, now, did we?"

She'd let him think that, if it kept her safe. Vampires were not good company to keep, after all, and if he thought she had ingested the vervain, it would keep him from trying to feed on her.

The teenage girl stepped forward. "Look, you're obviously hurt," she said. "Come inside and let us help you. Damon won't hurt you." She turned to glare at him. "Will you?" she demanded.

Damon rolled his eyes. "No, I won't hurt you, Miss No-Name. Don't care to drink vervain, to be honest. Of course, all I have to do is keep you here for couple of days until it leaves your system and then…"

"Damon!"

"Yeah, yeah. Don't get your panties in a twist, Bonnie." She watched in amazement as Damon chuckled when Bonnie smacked him on the arm. "I won't hurt the kid. You might want to move this inside and get some ice on her wrist, though. It's looking a bit nasty."

Bonnie rolled her eyes and moved to wrap an arm around the girl's shoulders as she steered her back toward the house. "I'm Bonnie, and this is Jeremy." She nodded toward the teenage boy. "You know Damon already. It'd be nice to know your name, so Damon doesn't start shouting out 'hey you' whenever he wants to get your attention. He'll be downright irritating."

The young girl sighed. She was sure Bonnie was right about Damon. "You can call me Kensie."

Bonnie steered Kensie through the door and straight to the nearest sofa. Damon stood a few feet away while Jeremy disappeared. Kensie figured he was getting the ice they were determined to put on her wrist.

"And your last name would be…?" prompted Damon.

"None of your business," Kensie shot back.

Damon's eyes narrowed slightly. "This attitude of yours is getting old."

"Let me go and you won't have to deal with it anymore."

"What were you doing up in the tree?"

"Enjoying the view… OW!" She hissed as Jeremy placed an ice pack on her wrist.

The vampire took a step closer menacingly. "It's about to hurt a lot more if you don't tell me what you were doing up in that tree…"

Kensie glared up at him, contempt in her eyes. "I'm not scared of you." It was a lie, but she put on a brave front anyway. She refused to let a vampire tell her what to do.

He leaned down so his face was inches from hers. "Is that so?"

She squinted, and seconds later Damon took a step back, clutching his head in pain. "Aaahhh," he groaned as his legs gave out and he fell to his knees.

Kensie registered the shock on Bonnie and Jeremy's faces.

"You're a witch," Bonnie said, and though Kensie could hear the surprise in her voice, it wasn't a question.

Kensie watched Damon suffer a few moments longer before letting up. She turned toward Bonnie, though she made sure to keep Damon in her line of sight. "How did you know? Are you a witch, too?"

A rueful expression crossed Bonnie's face. "I was, once."

Was? As in, no longer? "How do you un-become a witch? I know you can't be a witch and a vampire at the same time, but you're definitely not a vampire."

"It's a long story. I'm guessing your mom's a witch too, then?" Kensie nodded silently. "Is she in town?"

"She's dead. Look, I'm really sorry I broke your tree branch. Just let me go and you won't have to see me again."

"How about your dad?" Jeremy prodded. "Any family at all?"

"She doesn't have any family," Damon interjected. "She's an orphan. That's why you're here, isn't it?" He stared at Kensie with a knowing glance that made her feel even younger. "You wouldn't sneak into a house in broad daylight, so you must have been sneaking out."

"I didn't take anything, if that's what you're worried about," she assured them quickly.

"Hmmm."

Kensie sighed. She wasn't getting anywhere with any of them. "If you're not going to let me go anytime soon, can I please use the bathroom?"

Damon seemed ready to object, but Bonnie helped Kensie off of the sofa and showed her to the downstairs bathroom.

With the door closed and her privacy ensured, Kensie wasted no time in taking care of her business. A small wave of relief flowed through her as she had one less thing on her mind. Once done, she moved onto her next most pressing problem. She examined the lone window. It was small, but if she could get it open she'd have a shot at making a break for it. She'd have to be silent, since the sun didn't hinder Damon's ability to pursue her, and with her backpack on the sofa she'd have to start over with nothing, but it occurred to her that this would probably be her only chance at escaping. Not even Bonnie or Jeremy seemed willing to let her go.

She tried to open the window with one hand, but it wouldn't budge. Cautiously Kensie lifted her left hand to try again; the moment she grasped the window she cried out from the pain.

"Kensie?" There was a knock on the bathroom door. "Kensie, are you okay?"

"Yeah…" she managed, wiping her eyes with her right hand. "I'll be out in a second…" She splashed some water on her face and tried to compose herself. It was hard, with her wrist throbbing and the fact that she was most certainly now trapped with three strangers, one of whom could kill her in a heartbeat. What she wouldn't give to have her mom back…

Knowing she couldn't stall any longer, Kensie opened the door and walked straight past Bonnie, ignoring her concerned expression, to the sofa, where she plopped down.

"Kensie…?" Bonnie tried again.

"What do you want from me?" Kensie demanded in a tired voice as she replaced the ice pack.

"We want to make sure you're okay," Jeremy told her, sitting beside her on the sofa. "You're hurt, and it sounds like you have nowhere to go. We couldn't possibly leave you to fend for yourself."

She gestured to Damon. "And I'm safer here with _him_?"

Damon almost seemed offended by the comment. "Who attacked who a few minutes ago?"

"You're safe here," Jeremy promised.

She didn't exactly believe it though she was sure Jeremy believed it himself.

"When's the last time you ate?" Bonnie asked.

Kensie shrugged. Food had not been a priority that morning, and she'd pushed the hunger aside, but now that Bonnie mentioned it her stomach betrayed her by growling loud enough to alert the neighbors, if they'd had any. "Yesterday?"

"Then the first order of business is getting you breakfast. Where did you sleep last night? Jeremy can take your bag up to that room."

Damon rolled his eyes. "Am I running a boarding house now?" he demanded. Kensie caught a hint of amusement in Jeremy's eyes at this comment, but she wasn't sure what was so funny about it.

"Shut up, Damon. Do you remember which room you were in, Kensie?"

"Middle room on the right, I think… It was dark last night."

Before Kensie could object, Jeremy had picked up her backpack and slung it over the shoulders as he headed for the stairs. Knowing she really didn't have any other choice at the moment, and growing hungrier by the second, Kensie reluctantly followed Bonnie into the kitchen.

The kitchen wasn't small, but it wasn't grandiose either. It seemed just comfortable enough to fit with the rest of the house. Bonnie guided her to the table and pulled out the chair for her. Kensie wanted to protest - to argue that she was perfectly capable of pulling out her own chair and that one hurt wrist didn't make her an invalid, but Bonnie seemed hell bent on helping her, and honestly the girl didn't seem like a threat. If she were being honest with herself, she'd admit that the only perceived threat right then was Damon, who had stopped to lean against the doorframe.

"Are you allergic to anything?" Bonnie asked her while reaching for a couple of cereal boxes.

"Not that I know of," Kensie answered honestly as she sat, placing her hurt wrist in her lap and setting the ice pack on top of it.

Half a minute later, a bowl, spoon, glass of orange juice, carton of milk, and two different kinds of cereal sat before her at the table.

"We don't have much else for breakfast," Bonnie said, and Kensie noted an almost apologetic tone in the girl's voice. "Jeremy and I aren't here all the time, and Damon doesn't usually eat food. We'll go to the store later today so we can pick up some more food."

"It's okay." Kensie looked at the options. Berry Berry Kix or Reese's Puffs. She reached for the box of Berry Berry Kix and poured herself a bowl. It took longer than usual, using just one hand, but thankfully Bonnie and Damon didn't take it upon themselves to assist her. Even injured she could take care of herself. As she poured some milk into the bowl, she saw Jeremy enter the kitchen. She took a bite, watching him sit beside her at the table.

"How's your wrist feeling?" he asked.

She waited until she'd chewed and swallowed the bite before responding. "It hurts." The ice was starting to melt, so she placed the pack on the table before it could soak her clothes.

Jeremy held out a hand, waiting as she tentatively lifted her arm and placed her hand in his. His fingers were gentle as he examined her swollen and lightly bruised wrist. "Your wrist might be broken. After you're finished eating, I think we should get you to the doctor."

"Or, you could wrap it up, give me a few Advils, and leave the doctor out of it," Kensie countered, slipping her hand out of his and back into her lap before taking another bite of cereal.

"Kensie, your wrist is too swollen. It needs to be looked at by a doctor."

"Come on… you know Damon doesn't really care, so why bother?" She glanced at him, counting on him to back up her statement.

The vampire pushed away from the doorframe and stepped into the room. "On the contrary. You're apparently staying here, and if your wrist is broken, you'll be miserable. That, in turn, will only serve to fuel _my_ misery. So, for the sake of my sanity, you're seeing a doctor."

"I've already told you that you can let me go and I'll be out of your hair," she reminded him.

"Not an option."

"Why not?"

"Because… it just isn't."

Kensie huffed, but ate quietly for a few minutes. Being held captive by a vampire was one thing, but being taken to a doctor was a whole different matter. It didn't help that she had a fear, however irrational, of medical professionals and anything they could possibly stick her with, but worse, she ran the risk of them realizing she was missing from somewhere and they'd send her back to her foster home. She'd rather spend the rest of her life as a vampire's plaything than return to THAT place.

Thinking about vampires, the idea hit her like a ton of bricks. "Then give me some of your blood," she suggested, watching Damon's face to gauge his reaction. "I'll be healed and we won't have to mess with doctors and stuff."

His expression gave away nothing. "I could," he agreed in a neutral tone. "A few drops of vampire blood would more than take care of your wrist."

"Well then?" she prodded. "What are you waiting for?"

"Here's the thing." He sauntered over to her, towering over her in a way that made her feel uncomfortable. "Living here in Mystic Falls is a bit more complicated than wherever you came from. This town is a magnet for supernatural beings. People get hurt and die here frequently."

"And I'm hurt. What are you getting at?"

He seemed frustrated by her interruption. "If anything happens to you while you have vampire blood in your system, you'll spend the rest of your 'life' as a twelve-year-old. Is that a risk you're willing to take?"

Damnit, he had a point. She had no intention of being an immortal, and especially not when she hadn't even reached puberty. Being a child forever would royally suck.

She was out of good comebacks, so she opted not to say anything, and instead continued eating in silence as she glared at her bowl.

Damon smirked. "I thought not. So, finish your breakfast, and then you're going to the hospital."

* * *

Mystic Falls Hospital was small, but Kensie had to admit that she hadn't expected a small town to have their own hospital anyway. She wondered if it had anything to do with the 'frequent injuries and deaths' Damon had mentioned back at the house. It would make sense for a town with supernatural problems to have their own hospital. It'd probably look bad if neighboring hospitals repeatedly received patients from one little town all showing the same symptoms.

As they entered the ER, Damon smiled. Kensie, Bonnie, and Jeremy followed him as he approached a brunette woman.

"Ahhh. The lovely Dr. Fell." Damon flashed a grin that would have charmed any woman who didn't already know him. "Just the woman I was looking for."

Kensie noticed this doctor seemed nonplussed by Damon's flattery. "Damon," Dr. Fell greeted, arching an eyebrow. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"This is Kensie." He nodded in her direction. "She hurt her wrist falling out of a tree this morning and we thought it ought to be checked out."

"Where are her parents?"

Damon motioned the doctor away from Kensie and the others, and began to speak to her in tones too low for Kensie to hear. She tried to focus on their mouths, but she'd never been good at reading lips, so it didn't help. Just reading body language, Kensie noted that Dr. Fell didn't seem very happy with Damon, though she imagined he irritated a lot of people. The thought brought a small smile to her lips.

Dr. Fell glared at Damon one last time, then turned and approached Kensie. "Hi, Kensie," she said, offering the twelve-year-old a smile that made her feel a little more comfortable. "I'm Dr. Fell, but you can call me Meredith. What happened with your wrist?"

"I fell on it," Kensie answered softly. She wasn't sure whether she could trust the doctor just yet. She knew doctors were likely to contact the police or child protective services in cases such as hers. Other than not wanting to return to her foster home, Kensie thought it would be nice to stay in one place longer than one or two nights. Maybe she'd even get a chance to look into what her mom had meant when she'd said their family had history in Mystic Falls. It hadn't been by accident that Kensie had decided to stop in this town.

"May I see it?"

Kensie lifted her arm just enough for Meredith to see her wrist. The woman held her arm with care as she inspected it.

"Might just be a sprain," Meredith told Damon, "but I'd like to get it x-rayed, just to be sure." Meredith then turned her attention back to Kensie. "Damon's going to have to fill out some paperwork so we can take care of you. He'll need your first and last name to do that. I'm guessing Kensie is a nickname…"

Kensie shook her head with such force that it made her dizzy. "No. If I tell you that, you'll just turn me over to CPS. I know how this works."

"I won't," promised Meredith. "Look, I know Damon isn't an angel. In fact, he can be a downright monster at times."

"Hey…" came Damon's indignant protest.

"But even Damon has some semblance of morals. He doesn't hurt children. I know you'll be safe with him, especially with Jeremy and Bonnie around, so I have no need to call in CPS."

Kensie thought about that. She supposed it couldn't hurt to give her first name – it wasn't as if she had an uncommon one – but she wasn't giving her last name. Not just yet. It couldn't hurt to use a family name though.

"Mackenzie," she told the doctor. "Mackenzie Salvatore."


End file.
